- causing or feeling cool or moderately cold
- without warmth; unfriendly
- (of people) sensitive to cold
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
chill•y /ˈtʃɪli/USA pronunciation
adj., -i•er, -i•est.
chill•i•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- noticeably cold;
nippy: a chilly breeze. - without warmth of feeling: The president gave only a chilly reply to that journalist.
chill•i•ness, n. [uncountable]
chill•y
(chil′ē),USA pronunciation adj., chill•i•er, chill•i•est, adv.
adj.
adv.
chill′i•ness, n.
adj.
- mildly cold or producing a sensation of cold;
causing shivering;
chill:a chilly breeze. - feeling cold;
sensitive to cold:Her hands were chilly. - without warmth of feeling;
cool:a chilly reply. - producing or likely to produce a feeling of fear;
frightening:He told a chilly story of ghosts and murder.
adv.
- Also, chill′i•ly. in a chill manner:The wind blew chilly.
- chill + -y1 1560–70
- 1. See cold.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
chilly /ˈtʃɪlɪ/ adj ( -lier, -liest)
'chilly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):